(Image: Supplied)
A senior MP and a Ukrainian academic will headline a Durham conference on the future of energy security.
Bill Esterson, chair of the Commons Energy Security and Net Zero Committee, and Professor Olena Tupakhina, vice-rector for international affairs at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia National University, will give keynote speeches at the Durham Energy Institute’s annual Energy Day.
The event will be held at Redhills, Durham Miners’ Hall, on Thursday, November 5.
The conference, themed ‘Safe and Sound: Energy Security, Innovation and Communities,’ will examine how to strengthen energy security amid global instability, rising demand and pressure to cut emissions.
Mr Esterson will open the event with a keynote speech, Energy Security in a Turbulent World.
He will link national policy to the practical challenge of delivering secure, affordable and sustainable energy across the UK.
Professor Tupakhina will give the afternoon address on Ukraine’s experience of energy security during conflict and its fight to stay resilient.
Her talk will show why reliable energy matters to communities, public services and the economy during crises.
The conference will feature 10 breakout sessions on clean energy technology, heat and housing, and turning policy into investment.
The Clean, Resilient Power Technologies session will examine how offshore wind, solar, hydrogen and other renewables can cut dependence on fossil fuels.
The Heat, Homes and Place-Based Delivery session will examine how retrofits, heat networks and local partnerships can create warmer, healthier homes.
Mary Foy, MP for Durham City, will join researchers to discuss the challenges of delivering energy change in local neighbourhoods.
Other sessions will cover energy security and geopolitics, fair transitions, resilience data and modelling, and funding climate adaptation for households and communities.
Helen Stockton, National Energy Action’s head of research, will chair a session on community energy.
The panel will include National Energy Action founder David Green and Rox Nicholl of East Durham Trust.
They will discuss local energy generation and ownership, as well as advice and community participation.
Ross Lowrie, head of clean energy and environment at the North East Combined Authority, will chair an interactive Policy Design Lab on making national energy policy work in the North East.
The day will also feature a research poster competition, networking and a closing panel on DEI’s impact through research, innovation, policy work and community partnerships.
Read more
County Durham mine water scheme now heats 750 homes with green energy
‘Basic research’ would reveal real reason behind Britain’s high energy prices
Finance leaders unite in North East to build 'stronger, more resilient communities'
Redhills’ industrial heritage will provide a symbolic backdrop to discussions about the future of energy in the UK and beyond.
Energy Day is free, but advance registration is required through the Durham Energy Institute’s website.
The event is open to researchers, students, businesses, policymakers, charities and community groups shaping the energy transition.